Equestria. The Crystal Empire.
"Your majesty. We have them here for you." Entering the room where the Lich Queen was healing up were Sweet Fang and the other vampires that managed to capture Princess Cadence and the Alternate Universe Flurry Heart.
After placing them within the tubes that were found in the chamber, they were ready to become victims for the Lich Queen. Both of them had their regalia off, tossed elsewhere as they lost their royal appearances. Rosa Maledicta, who has stayed completely still during the Black Crusade, opened her eyes to see the two unconscious alicorns from the Crystal Empire
"All those Bane Liquids have made it so that they're eligible for absorption. We came here to give them to you as soon as possible." Sweet Fang.
"Excellent work, Sweet Fang. I'll be sure to give youa personal reward after this." Rosa Maledicta spoke. "You said you wished to rule the Crystal Empire if you got the chance, correct?"
"Yes, yes! So that's what I'll get?!" Sweet Fang squeed with glee. Because of her successful mission, she was granted the gift of becoming the Crystal Empire's next ruler.
"Of course. Now...if I absorb their lifespans, not only will I receive a longer-lasting life, but my magic will even be restored. I can't wait. Ith as to be done now." With her eyes widening, Rosa Maledicta's horn would immediately shoot out a stream of magic that divided into two parts.
The magical stream acted like a leech, digging directly into the hearts of Cadence and Flurry Heart. And all it took was Rosa Maledicta's involvement to wake up these two alicorns. Cadence and Flurry Heart felt their hearts being attacked, instantly waking them up from what seemed like an eternity of being unconscious.
"G..GAAAAAH!" Both of them screamed as a vital part of them was being sucked away by Rosa Maledicta's magic. Their pupils shrank as their magical essences were travelling through the dark green stream of Rosa's magic.
"As an alicorn, you have all the time in the world. Possibly longer than any vampire here. Which is why alicorns will be the first obstacles out of the way for the rest of the Black Crusade. I can't have someone who can have enough time to make a comeback." Rosa spoke while absorbing their lifespans.
It was an unusual feeling. Unlike anything they've ever felt before. Every movement sent waves of throbbing pain through their chests and heads. It was highly exhausting and they felt sick, but there seemed to be nothing they could do about it considering their situation. Their head felt eerily light, everything seemed to spin around them in a blur of motion as there was absolutely nothing that could carry them or help them out of this while all the vampires watched this play out.
And in connection to their pain, it brought relief to Rosa Maledicta as seen by the smile that formed on her face. She felt like she was in paradise as the room itself was trembling. Afterwards, Rosa's stream disappeared. Cadence and Flurry Heart would both drop to the floor, bewildered and perplexed in various ways.
And as for Rosa Maledicta, she felt even better than before. After absorbing the lifespans of the two alicorns, she felt a good chunk of her magic return to her. Her hooves could move around some more instead of being mainly static. To test it out, Rosa Maledicta exited the Healing Pod, touching the floor once more to get a good feeling of her rejuvenated state.
"Oh, this is excellent. I still have ways to go if I want to make a full recovery, but for what I have now, it's highly promising. I was right to take the lifespan of an alicorn."
"W-What did you do to us...? Where are we?" Cadence was incredibly confused as she and Flurry Heart started coughing after being woken up so abruptly. Their eyes went up to see the Lich Queen herself along with other vampires next to them. It didn't take long for them to realize where they were and the kind of company they were around.
"Y-You're...The Lich Queen!" Cadence gasped after seeing Rosa Maledicta's face. And the fact that she stuck out from all the vampires, lacking any vampiric wings.
"Mom...I feel light..." Flurry Heart focused on how she felt. A part of her was completely off. The young alicorn slumped her head on the floor, feeling rather limp.
"What have you done to us?!" Cadence questioned, trying to get back up.
"You should know why. It's your lifespan. I took some of them from you. Not all of it. Not yet anyway. You'll need to spend some more time in those chambers if you're to have every piece of your lifespan taken away from you. Luckily alicorns."
"You took away our lifespans...?" Cadence's jaw dropped. Some of it had been taken away but not all of it. However, Rosa Maledicta intended to make sure that all of it was gone.
"It's thanks to those Bane Liquids that I could pull it off. Without it, it wouldn't have been possible, so I need you alive in the meanwhile to fuel me. And you should know how detrimental it is for an alicorn to lose their lifespans...Don't you?"
"Yeah, don't you?" Sweet Fang giggled, taunting Cadence and Flurry Heart. "I guess you don't."
"It can't be..." Cadence coughed. "Lifespans don't mean that much, even if you're an alicorn. I'd still gladly live a short life with those around me even if I don't get that long-lasting opportunity."
"Those are bold worlds, Princess Cadence. Of course, you and your daughter, both of them, are young alicorns. You're not as seasoned as Celestia and Luna." Rosa Maledicta paced around the two young alicorns. "You've yet to live as long as them but I can guarantee that they know how important an alicorn's lifespan is, Cadence."
"What? Why?"
"Why do you think there are so few alicorns in the world? The first ones to become alicorns were Sunlight and Eventide, so the stories say. And following that were their children, Celestia and Luna, who both became alicorns at a young age. None were born as alicorns compared to your daughter over here and the other one, of course. It's because their existence is one of the few things in the world represented by the Primordial Magic. You could say that you, your daughters and the other alicorns are Walking Primordial Magic. A Necessary Existence for the Origin of Magic."
"Seriously? Us?" Cadence uttered, finding this hard to believe. But she had to know more. Even Sweet Fang and the other vampires had to know more about this.
"Feeling proud of yourself? You should. The moment you became alicorns, your lifespans grew to new heights. You weren't like other ponies. You were chosen to be royalty even though you were never one in the first place. The same goes for those Changelings. Chrysalis and her mother are nothing but Gangly Black Pegacorns with how they stick out from the rest."
"If you said our existence is necessary...why are you doing this then?" Cadence questioned.
"I'm remaking everything, can't you tell? The Black Crusade will wipe the slate clean. Not just on earth, or the universe but multiple universes with their own stories to tell. You should know that by now. But even after eradicating all life...I won't be able to change that status quo. Because there will always be an alicorn. You exist in the world because of the first Magic."
"Uh, what does that mean your majesty?" Sweet Fang asked, highly curious.
"The Primordial Magic is sentient. It's its own being instead of just being some random form of energy. And as such, it has its own way of thinking. From it came a chunk of magic that would grant one the power of an alicorn. This magic embedded itself into our world and hibernated, waiting for the day when an alicorn would finally appear. Because of that magic, an alicorn will continue to exist and that correlates with your lifespan. I can't change the status quo because of the Primordial Magic. The best I can do is wipe out all life. And even after that is all said and done, somehow, in some way, it will bring an alicorn into the world."
"So then why keep trying? If you know an alicorn is going to show up eventually in the future, then your plan to eradicate life will be for nothing." Cadence did raise a good question to Rosa Maledicta.
From what she was saying, there will always be an alicorn in the future. And because of the Primordial Magic, it will happen. Life will continue and it would seem that the Lich Queen and all the previous LIch Rulers and the objective that was given to them by the Lich Cycle, would be pointless in the end.
"It's annoying I know. Which is why the only way to stop it is to change the Primordial Magic itself. It is what every form of magic originally comes from. It is the biggest tree imaginable and everything we have are its fruits. It can mould into anything. Alicorns, Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Changelings, Vampires, Liches, objects and so much more. It can be whatever it wants to be. And when I get to it, I will mould it myself and decide everything from there."
"That's impossible!" Cadence saw that as highly impossible. Even if she didn't know about this whole Primordial Magic thing, even she can tell that something so important was impossible to reach.
"Yes. It is impossible. For someone who won't be around for too long. But with your lifespans, I will have all the time in the world to make it happen. It doesn't matter how long it will take, I will be around to make sure that I see it happen. For now, the Black Crusade is my main priority and it's already going well. You two will continue to fuel me until I'm satisfied. And I won't stop at you. You know who I'm going for next, don't you?"
"T-Twilight...! My baby!" Cadence gasped, knowing that Twilight, her younger Flurry Heart and the two Sisters were next.
"Not just them. But also the Changeling Queens. Both of them." Rosa Maledicta revealed more. "Those two are Gangly Black Pegacorns. They are the closest to alicorns and they even share long lifespans as well. Of course, I was planning to do this without my own magic and instead the Parasite Demon. But the Changelings took it from me. Which is why I'll be getting the Box of 100 Demons back."
"And you will your majesty! Melody Moon and Bittersweet took the task of going for the Box of 100 Demons themselves. I'm sure they'll get it back." Sweet Fang spoke.
"Good. As for you two, you now know quite a bit about the Primordial Magic. That won't matter for long since you'll become skeletons later down the road. But if you have any questions for me, go on ahead. I won't be able to answer all of them since there's still so much we don't know about it."
"I don't have any questions for you. I won't be seeing you at all later because my Shining Armor will be here for me!" Cadence was adamant, believing that her husband would show up to save her.
"Tch. As if." Rosa Maledicta scoffed at that. "You put too much faith in him. He's no Knight in Shining Armor. Take these two away back to the chamber. Place more of the Bane Liquids in them and bring them back here."
"Yes, your majesty. Come on, you two." Sweet Fang and the other vampires approached the two alicorns. Cadence and Flurry Heart would try to resist but were too weak to do so, still feeling the effects of Rosa Maledicta's magic and the drink they took. As such, they were picked up by the vampires, unable to fight back at all.
"As for the Changelings, the curse I put on Chrysalis will doom her but I still need her lifespan either way. I'll make sure that Melody Moon and Bittersweet know to bring the Changeling Queen directly to them as well as the box. And she needs to be here before she kicks the bucket." Rosa Maledicta said to herself. "And after I take all of their lifespans, I'll be around long enough to reach the Primordial Magic and change everything. I'll finish what all other Liches failed to finish in the first place."
The Crystal Empire.
Meanwhile, over at the Crystal Empire, Ash-Sombra was about to confront the Windigos. By using a tower of shadows along with some levitation, he brought himself up to their level. This was definitely Sombra's doing as he refused to let anyone be above him in any way.
Ash-Sombra reached the very top where the Windigos could be found. His crimson eyes stared directly at their spectral light blue eyes with no signs of fear. Watching them from above was Shining Armor, the citizens who were slowly being frozen along with the Golurk and Sableye that were still around.
"We meet at last, Windigos. How long has it been since an Umbrum has come across a Windigo?"
"Far too long..." Surprisingly, they spoke back. And the way they spoke matched their spectral and cold appearances. It felt like a blizzard was talking, leaving behind an echo. However, despite how loud their voices were, to Shining Armor and everyone below them, it just sounded like the Windigos were constantly howling. Only Ash-Sombra could hear them speak at this height. "And in the body of a human, no less. You are the most recent Umbrum we've seen in centuries. The rest no longer appear in this world physically in any way."
"That doesn't matter though. Even though I'm not the ruler of this place anymore, this is still my home you're targeting. And I won't let you freeze it all. And not only that, you're letting vampires order you around."
"Much like the Umbrum, we benefit from the Vampires' spoils. It is a symbiotic process for us. Your species brought fear out of everyone around them, leading to them starting conflicts over the smallest things most of the time. It was always delicious to us." The Windigos replied, going off on how they enjoyed the fighting that was caused by the Umbrum sometimes and how much it satisfied their hunger.
"Yes, yes, that's all nice. Even though I never went that route. I prefer a dominating form of fear more than anything."
"But you...You lack that Umbrum Spirit in you. It's gone from you completely, Sombra."
"G-Gone?!" Ash-Sombra pulled back. "Nonsense! I still have it in me! What makes you think it's all gone and I am still an Umbrum?!"
"It is that boy you're with." The Windigos aimed their spectral hooves at Ash-Sombra, referring to Ash. "He completely contrasts you."
"Oh, of course." ASh-Sombra sighed. "The boy. But I am in control now. For the most part anyway. He relinquished his spirit and soul for me to take control...Even though he somehow gets a chance to speak."
"You've grown soft. That is unlike an Umbrum. That boy is to blame. And we have seen it from that speech he gave when took control of his body once more."
"Just because I'm inhabiting his body now, doesn't mean I've lost my spirit! If I wanted to, I could retake the Crystal Empire, but complications have risen!" Ash-Sombra vehemently denied it. "I'm my own Umbrum since I'm the only one around!" He roared at them refusing to let them call him soft or underestimate him despite his current situation.
"You cannot prove to us that you still have it in you. That boy. He represents the complete opposite of what we aim for. If it were not for the Dread League assisting us, we would have vanished just by what he said earlier."
"Tch. Lame." Ash-Sombra scoffed. In that instance, Sombra talked exactly like Ash without Ash needing to take control. A bit of Ash was rubbing off on him. "You do realize that the Black Crusade will leave you with nothing to feed off on! If all life is gone, what is there for you to do!"
"There will always be more life. The Primordial Magic will make sure of it." The Windigos uttered. "We will gladly assist the Dread League if it means that we can constantly feed off hatred. For too long we have been restrained from feeding off hatred due to how the world has developed. We never have the opportunity to appear in the world as much as we wish to. But that can all change now. And what can you even do to us?"
"As if I'd let you go through with that. I wasn't sure how to deal with you since you did not vanish after the brat's speech." Ash Sombra scoffed. "But I've learned by now that there is no force in this world that can be taken out. And I believe I can show you your worst fears and drive you away!"
"No. You will do no such thing. Instead, we will do something similar and bring out the worst in you. And by you, we mean the boy." Suddenly, The Windigos reversed things on Ash-Sombra. Before he could imbue them with fear, the Windigos did it themselves, sending an instant yet powerful wave of blizzards towards the Duo King. But instead of fear, it would be hatred.
Ash-Sombra gasped as his body was immediately engulfed by this powerful blizzard. He closed his eyes as he felt some familiarity with this magic. It was indeed similar to what Sombra produces when digging into someone's fears. The Windigos could do the same but with a different approach and intention.
"If we draw out his worst parts, we can eliminate the boy from the picture." The Windigos saw Ash as a threat to their entire species, wanting him gone as soon as possible. "What drives him to anger more than anything? We already see many options in front of us."
"Oh, man...!" Ash took control. "What's going on?!"
"You'd better not let any of your worst parts get out boy!" Sombra spoke before using his shadows to try and retaliate. Soon a wave of Shadows would clash with the wave of Spectral Magic, beginning the confrontation between Ash-Sombra and the Windigos.
Both of them were trying to bring out something in each of them. And already, the Windigos managed to conjure up something big digging into Ash's memories. Shining Armor looked up to see this powerful clash of two different elements. It was also his first viewing of what Windigo magic looked like. As for Ash, he was unaware of what was about to be shown to him as even though he wasn't in control of his body, he would be targeted from the inside.
From Ash's own point of view, the Windigos managed to conjure up two familiar faces. Those faces ended up being himself. Specifically, his younger self. Ash's younger years when journeyed across Kanto and Johto showed up along with the time he journeyed across the Hoenn Region.
"It's me? Twice?" Naturally, Ash was confused. Why were these two being shown? And noticeably, he was in a dark room. The same dark room that Sombra resides in whenever he speaks through Ash. "But why's it just those two outfits I wore?"
"Everyone has something that brings out the worst in them." Suddenly, the Windigos would appear in this dark room with their spectral heads, speaking to Ash. "Even you. What we found dates back to your younger years. Oh, you were so quick to action back then compared to now. And rather quick to hostility, weren't you?"
The Windigos went further, showing exactly what they meant by that. The projections of Kanto and Hoenn Ash all showed recent memories. Both of these older versions of Ash were rather quick to anger at times. Ash looked at these memories of these moments as the Windigos hovered next to him.
"You have grown since then but nothing is stopping us from bringing those traits out of you again. Especially with what you can become later down the road."
"Gee...I guess I was pretty quick to action back then, huh?" Ash scratched his hair, not really getting much of a reaction out of this. He wasn't really phased by it. The time he tackled Lucario was shown and that had no effect either. His constant babbling during his earlier years didn't even seem to have an effect.
"Not bothered by these, are you? Well, that makes sense considering you are where you are now. But there is one part of you that is greatly tied to Pokemon which can most definitely reappear. Allow us to show you. "The Windigo went further once more, showing Ash another part that could bring out the worst in him.
Appearing right after Kanto and Johto and Hoenn Ash was the next version of himself that travelled across the Sinnoh Region. It was fitting that he was the next one to show up. And as for this one, this version of Ash was less about what he said and did but what he felt.
"What if your methods as a Pokemon Trainer are challenged once more? Your goal is Champion Leon but can you even reach that goal at all?" The Windigos referred to when Ash's way of raising and training his Pokemon was challenged by none other than Paul. Paul was the first one to really bring something new out of Ash, making him rethink things for the first time.
"What if happens again?" Another Windigo said to him. "There are many trainers at the top you have yet to encounter. Can you hope to reach Leon with them in the way? The way you go about things might seem rather...slow to many others. We've seen it. Your losses in the past. The loss you might receive from the World Champion could be larger than ever if you even get the chance to reach it. What if a trainer from the Pokemon World Championships challenges your way of training once more?"
"What if your attempts lead to constant failure? Your rankings plummet and there is only one way to rise back up to the top before it is too late?"
"Perhaps you will take matters into your own hands to try and face off against that Paramount Trainer? Anything to reach the goal you've longed for ever since you were a child."
"It's been too long, don't you think? Becoming a Pokemon Master seems so close yet those who stand in your way will continue to pull that dream of yours away."
Ash simply stood there in silence, closing his eyes as the Windigos went on, trying to bring the worst parts out of Ash. Right now, they wanted to see him doubt himself and take a different path when it comes to training his Pokemon. A path that all of his friends would most certainly reject. The Windigos threw more possibilities at him, speaking about the worst possible scenarios that involved him and all of his friends. They were truly trying to change Ash's way of thinking in the same way that Paul did. They would even summon more projections of these scenarios to show Ash, who wasn't even watching.
Meanwhile, outside, Sombra was struggling to keep the Windigos at bay with shadows. They outnumbered him and their combined might was highly troublesome for the former King of the Crystal Empire. The tower of shadows was beginning to crumble.
"What will it be, boy?" The Windigos questioned, waiting for Ash's answer.
"Sorry. But you're not Paul." Ash gave his response. And it was one that stayed true to who he was now. He did not let the Windigos get to him. "I'm over that stuff now. You're not gonna get any of this out of me ever again. Not when my friends are with me."
"So, you believe you are beyond this at this point?
"Way beyond it? I've got my friends to thank for that." Ash smiled as the Windigos failed to bring out Ash's worst traits from within. Ash had far surpassed all of that thanks to all the friends around him. "It's my friends that I have to thank. There's no way I could've done all of that on my own, ya know?"
"No belief that you would've surpassed that on your lonesome? That is entirely new..." The Windigos circled Ash with their spectral forms, forming a ghost-like gust above him.
"It's true for everyone I've met though. It's always been their friends that helped 'em. And I've got my friends too. And it's gonna be their energy that helps me get through this and reach the top with Leon."
"Such energy and persistence. It reminds us of when those three ponies overcame our power." The Windigos referred to the three ponies who helped form Equestria. Princess Platinum, Clover the Clever and Chancellor Puddinghead. "It has been many years since another being has retaliated against us. Then again, it was only them for the longest."
"Years after our previous appearance and you, a visit from another world that is now one with ours, just so happens to appear and exist. What an annoying coincidence."
"I can see why the Sirens struggled to overtake Equestria for so long. Beings like you are always going to be around, aren't you? Yet there is something about you, boy. The energy you bring is rather...volatile to our species. Yes. Very volatile."
"It is?" Ash replied.
"We would be gone if it were not for the vampires. The energy you carry with you exceeds that of what those three ponies brought back in that cave. How annoying that our presence is so fragile because of something as common as love."
"It doesn't have to be like that though. You didn't show up for so long because nothing like what happened before Equestria was founded happened for a whole bunch of years."
"Precisely. Our species are always waiting. But it is incredibly frustrating how long we have to wait because of how the world appears now. Even when the invasion from that Empress occurred, we could not appear. And all it would take is love to ruin everything for us. In all honesty, it is a rather cursed existence."
"Imagine that. Being so susceptible to such a common force and being hidden away for so long, unable to do anything at all. We always have to wait. And wait. And wait until something happens."
"Huh...You guys live in the Hyperborean Island, right? What happens there?"
"Our existence there means nothing either." Even that island did nothing for them. "Can you imagine that yourself, Ash Ketchum?"
"I can," Ash replied, surprising the Windigos. "It'd be the worst for sure. But it doesn't have to be lik that, ya know."
"But it is. Our love for hatred is what fuels us, much like the sirens. How can you expect us to bypass that?"
"You can always have someone to give that love back in a different way."
"A different way? What are you proposing."
"The best kind of love is the one that comes right back to you." Ash continued as his eyes followed the Windigos above. "It's always awesome when it happens and means a lot to someone."
"We have no one to love but the force of hatred itself."
"Not even each other?"
"Why would we have each other? We are simply spirits. The day we were created, we had no other purpose in life until we found it. Unless you're suggesting you can give us what you speak of?"
"I can try at least. Are ya gonna give me that chance? We've already got this dark room to ourselves. And just like everything in Equestria and beyond, I wanna know all about you." Ash saw past what the Windigos were normally seen as. The spirits stayed silent for a moment, eyeing down Ash. There was absolute silence here. The projections the Windigos made would even fade away. The silence was deafening as not even the howls of the Windigos were heard.
"This conversation is over." At that moment, the Windigos spoke. And they all collectively agreed to end this conversation with Ash. They failed to bring out the worst him in after all.
However, the Windigos were still active on the outside, conjuring their blizzard to go against Sombra's shadows. Sombra was beginning to lose because of the disadvantage he was at. And it didn't help that the body was freezing from all of this cold. It was still the body of a human after all.
"G-Gen!" It was hard for even Gengar to get up there. Sirfetch'd certainly couldn't do it and Shining Armor had no chance either. All they could do was watch as these two elements go up against each other.
"Okay! I'm back!" Ash spoke through Sombra. "Had a chat with the Windigos!"
"You what?!" Sombra exclaimed. "That's what you've been doing while I'm struggling here?! Tell me you can do something to assist me!"
"I got something! Just use my Aura, Sombra! You're using my body so you can use my Aura. It's all yours." Ash encouraged Sombra to use his Aura since it was available. Ash-Sombra liked the sound of that. Utilizing the Aura was rather promising, especially with how impressive Ash's Aura was.
By syncing with Ash, Sombra would draw out the Aura from within, revealing its Azure Blue appearance. The Aura flowed across Ash-Sombra's arms before then entering the shadows themselves. The Aura and Shadows mixed with each other, creating a colour contrast that was pleasing to the eyes but also intimidating.
Soon, the Aura would elevate the shadows, allowing them to push back against the Blizzard. Sombra cackled after using Ash's Aura for himself. The Windigos found themselves losing the struggle now that Ash's Aura was involved. But it wasn't much of a struggle since they were winning for the most part.
And noticeably, the sparks of the Aura would reach the Windigos, making them howl out in response as it made direct contact with them, in the same way, Sombra's shadows did.
"The unity of your Aura and my Shadows are rather impressive!" Ash-Sombra grinned. "Together, we can destroy a Windigo with this!"
"We're not gonna destroy them." However, with Ash taking control, his Aura would overlay Sombra's shadows, masking them. Ash refused to destroy the Windigos. It wasn't like he was planning to do so in the first place.
"What?! If we don't then-"
"It's fine, Sombra. Let me take the helm back for a while." Ash took control for a little while. He continued to use his Aura but as an extension, he utilized Sombra's shadows as well. By controlling both of them in his own way, Ash would use the Aura Shadows to cover the Blizzard. But that was as far as it went. After engulfing the Blizzard in a Shadowy Aura, the Windigos would feel the atmosphere change.
The fierce atmosphere they created was being altered by the mixture of Aura and Umbrum Magic. They would feel this change as their blizzard vanished from their sights. The fierce winds they brought even died down. Ash-Sombra sighed, lowering his arms as his Aura Shadow would then dissipate, disappearing along with the fierce blizzard.
"That takes care of that. But man my hands are cold now...!" Ash-Sombra shuddered before giving control back to King Sombra.
"What have you done, boy?" Sombra questioned, wondering why the Windigos were still here.
"Interesting." The Windigos said. "No one has ever subdued our blizzard in such a way before. Not in such a direct way at all. And our presence is still prominent here for many to see."
"Never before, you say?" Ash-Sombra uttered. "This is a first?"
"Our bodies have remained here instead of returning to the beyond. Not even the Hyperborean Island is within our sights. You have managed to moderate it by coming the Power of Aura and the Power of the Umbrum. You could have sent us back to where we came from if you allowed Sombra to fully take control."
"If there's a chance I can understand you, then I'll do it. It's not usually this high up or in a clash like this." He grinned as the side of Ash was fully showing. "I heard all you said back in there. So that's what I decided to go with."
"Don't tell me you're trying to befriend these things?!" Sombra gasped, picking up on what Ash was trying to do. It was very much like him. "WIndigos are exempt from that, boy! It's far past them due to what they stand for!"
"Sombra is right. However, it is interesting that you still managed to achieve that. The only way to overcome such a blizzard is with the Magic of Love. Yet you found a different way of doing so on your own. Tell us. Do you truly intend to reach us in the way you think you can."
"Totally!" Ash said with full confidence. "It's different from what I'm used to but that won't stop me from trying. If it doesn't work out, then it's fine by me. If we keep going against each other, I'll just do what I can to keep everyone else around me safe."
"We see. In all of our years of existing, no one has ever talked to us in such a way. Or either approached us in such a way. You are willing to give us a chance despite what you know about us. You are honestly taking the chance to challenge fate itself and expect to win?"
"Mhm."
"We see. Then...We shall remember this for ourselves. Wherever there is hatred, we will appear again. In the chance we meet again, Ash Ketchum, we will wait to see what your next interaction is with us. Perhaps it will be soon. You are planning to head to Magehold after all, are you not?"
"That's right. But we've still got this Shadow Spire to deal with though. We haven't gotten past that yet." Ash-Sombra said. "Unless...can you guys get rid of it?"
"You expect us to remove the Shadow Spire? Indeed, we have the power to affect it. The Spire will weaken with our influence but it will take someone else to fully destroy it."
"Awesome! We can do just that! And I know Twilight's out there planning on it with our Z-Crystal! So you'll help weaken it after all?"
"We shall refuse. And instead, we shall return to where we came from. But as we said before, we will remember this, Ash Ketchum." The Windigos did not assist them. "However, Sombra, as an Umbrum can have an influence on it. These are shadows after all and there is a way to weaken them. For now, farewell."
And just like that, the Windigos would vanish from their sight. Like a gust of wind, they dispersed. Ash-Sombra witnessed their disappearance but he firmly believed he would see them again. With the Windigos leaving, the frozen ponies would be freed once more, no longer doomed to be trapped in an icy prison.
"Unbelievable. You managed to steer away the Windigos in your own unique way. It's annoying how good you are at things like this, boy." Sombra sighed, rather annoyed that Ash managed to pull something like that off in his own way instead of the usual way a Windigo is defeated.
"Thanks. Anyway, about that spire. So can you really do something about it?"
"They are shadows, so yes, I can affect them in the same way I managed to pass through them. However, it is still difficult for me. Shadow Spires are on a different level compared to what I can do."
"Then let's use the Aura. Like we did before." Ash suggested. "Your Aura and my Shadows. Let's use them again and see what happens."
"Hm. Not a bad idea. Very well. then. Let's see what comes from this." Sombra agreed to use the Aura once more. The unification of Aura and Shadow seemed to be a rather great combination despite it being the first time it was utilised. Now it was time to see how far it could take them.
They managed to make the Windigos leave. Mainly Ash did. And even the citizens were free from the chilling aura that nearly imprisoned them. There was still a lot to do and one of which was destroying the Shadow Spire. Or at least weakening it enough.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 137 End.